Fade to black

Why, hello there dearest cupcakes.

I am very nervous about this, as it is my first original story (not fanfictional and whatnot) on this site and such. I cannot gurantee I did good, but I tried my best. Still, this story must have a bunch of mistakes and not so likeable parts, so don't be shy about it and tell me if you note any. I would be grateful to receive constructive criticism.

But um, if you flame...I'll either completely ignore you or laugh about it. Sorry, but I do not think much of people who mindlessly insult others :)

Ehem. On with the fic.

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For her sixth birthday, Anastasia got a red, warm scarf as a present from her father. It was in no way new and definitely not in fashion, as she made sure to childishly point out, puffing out her cheeks. Even after he explained to her that it belonged to his mother once, she would have complained more. But then she thought that she had never really met her grandmother, so it might actually not be so bad to at least have something of hers.

Red was her favourite colour, anyway, and it was the middle of the winter; she would need a nice warm scarf. Perhaps it wasn't such a bad present, and besides, it seemed to be very important to her dad.

From her mother she got a hoodie with her favourite Disney princess, Jasmine, on it. She got a couple new toys from her aunts and uncles, and many, many sweets. In the end, she ate so many that her tummy hurt, but that didn't stop her from eating more.

She didn't have a party, but their little family gathering -with her aunts making proud comments on how she had grown up, and her older cousins ruffling her hair affectionally- was more than enough a celebration. Despite being the youngest in the group, she felt so grown up that day. Six somehow seemed like a serious number.

The following days, weeks, and months, went by rather quickly and in a generally happy atmosphere- for her at least. She finished the first grade of Elementary School loving it (even though all of her cousins had warned her that school was a living hell). She had made new friends, learned many things (and forgotten most of them). And now it was time for summer vacation.

Summer vacation meant staying for a minimum of three weeks in a hotel with her parents; a hotel that most usually even had a pool, and even if it didn't, there was the sea nearby to swimm. She and her family spent the biggest part of the day doing all sorts of new things, and she ate ice cream nearly every day (strawberry ice cream, it was her absolutely favourite).

Just the thought of it made her gleeful, and anxious at the same time. In the day they were meant to leave, she felt as if there was nothing in the world that could upset her. And oh, she was dead wrong.

When her father came home early that day, she didn't spend a moment to wonder why. As it was his last working day for the year, his boss must have allowed him to leave early, naturally. And besides, why did it matter? It could only mean that they would leave a few hours soon.

Only it meant they wouldn't leave at all. They didn't explain to her what happened exactly, and if they had, she probably wouldn't have understood. What she knew was that somehow her father didn't have a job anymore, which meant they couldn't afford paying so much money for the hotel, and everything else.

Well, she wasn't exactly thrilled about that, and her parents weren't either. If truth be told, they were more worried about the loss of the job and not the vacation, unlike the girl. But in any case, the atmosphere in the house had changed dramatically.